Keeper of the Golden
by CrystalMoonKiss
Summary: The famous bodyguard of the city, Roy Mustang, is called to meet a new client. But the client wasn't what he was expecting, at all. Parental!RoyEd Al. AU.
1. The New Client

Hope you like it! I'm looking for a beta for this story, if you're interested, please send me a private message or tell me how I can contact you ^^

"**Keeper Of The Golden"****  
****"The New Client"**

He heard someone knocking at the door and closed the folder he had in his hands. He didn't remember how long he had been reading those papers, but his stomach was telling him that it had been a _long_ time. The door opened and a woman appeared with some papers on her hands that could only mean more work.

"Mr. Mustang, this is the information you wanted about the new case."

The man nodded and, with a soft smile, grabbed the new folder. "Thank you, Schieska You can go home for today."

The woman smiled joyfully and bowed before leaving the room, closing the door after her. Reluctantly, he opened the folder and began to read not really paying attention to the information in the papers…he already had an interview with a client and he couldn't take more than one task at once.

He glanced at his watch and noticed it was already time to go, so he closed the folder and grabbed his suitcase, heading toward the exit of his office. He went down the stairs checking some things out of his cell phone until he reached the building's parking lot and grabbed his car's keys. However, when he was about to open the door of his brand new car, a voice caught his attention and he turned around to see his best friend walking towards him.

"Hey, Roy! I was thinking on invite you to drink some beers since it's Friday, but I see you already have plans"

"Nothing of the sort, Hughes." He waved his hand dismissively. "I have a meeting with a client. He wants to know if my reputation is well-given," he grumbled as a tacked-on afterthought.

Hughes smiled and headed to the copilot door of Roy's car. "I guess this should be fun."

"Hey! I never said you could come!"

"Come on, I have to meet the person who dared to question your abilities," Maes smirked, closing the door as Roy got in the car.

Resigned, Mustang turned the vehicle on and drove through the city hearing Hughes' voice talking about his beautiful wife, being as Maes was a newlywed. Roy could understand the excitement of the new lifestyle, but did he have to talk about how wonderful Gracia was _all_ the time?

"She also wants a child soon too; I was so sure she was the woman for me," the man griped almost childishly.

Roy couldn't help but roll his eyes in annoyance and tried to change the subject. "So, how's work?"

"Pretty good, actually," Maes responded easily, oblivious of his friend's attempt to keep him from talking about Gracia; "I don't ask about you since I can see it's going very well."

"I just hope it's not another spoiled brat like the last time." Mustang almost sighed. "The pay was very good – I was able to buy a new apartment and this car – but it was hell."

Hughes almost chuckled. "You're not very fond of kids, aren't you?"

"It's not that…I just hate spoiled kids."

However, when he was in front of the place where the appointment was, he could tell this was going to be like last time: the place was a huge building of condominiums which, of course, could only mean rich people.

Hughes patted the man's shoulder. Roy was already scratching his head in obvious exasperation, but went inside anyway, followed by his friend. A security guard received them and guided them both inside. The receptionist made a call, asked for their ID, and then gave them access to the elevator.

"25th floor...," he muttered when the elevator began to go up.

"The higher, the richer, isn't it?" Hughes asked, genuinely interested, drawing out a small smile when Roy nodded, glaring ever so slightly at him. When the doors of the elevator opened, they noticed they were already inside of someone's house, which confused them for a second. However, a lovely woman was already bowing at their right.

"Welcome to the Elric's house," she greeted with a soft smile. "Mr. Elric is already waiting for you in the living room. Please follow me."

Roy and Hughes were impressed. The place, of course, was luxurious, but simple at the same time…maybe that was a good sign. The maid suddenly stooped and stepped aside so both could enter the living room, which was filled with the sunlight of the afternoon due to the large windows. It really gave the room an impressive sight of the city. Mustang heard a voice of someone coming. There was a laptop already in the table of the living room and some papers, so the man should be working.

"Please take a sit, Mr. Elric must have received an important call. Can I offer you something?"

"We're fine," Roy quickly assured.

Hughes, however, was never one to be bashful. "Actually, I would love some tea."

The woman nodded with a smile and left them alone, so Roy could glare at Hughes who only shrugged, a smirk tugging at his lips. It wasn't like they would go poor for a cup of tea…They waited for a moment glancing at the place discreetly and Roy noticed how many books were around the place on fancy bookshelves. Another good sign.

Suddenly, they heard how the voice stopped talking footsteps approached them so both stood up. However, what they saw wasn't what they were expecting. The first thing Roy could think of was _gold_. It was _everywhere. _There was a teenager with a cell phone on his hand and a thoughtful face walking towards them. A _teenager _with golden hair and eyes.

"Good afternoon, sorry for making you wait," he politely greeted, in an overly fake voice. "I'm Edward Elric, I called you yesterday."

Roy blinked a few times but reacted on time to shake the boy's hand. "G-good afternoon, I'm Roy Mustang."

The teen did the same with Hughes, guessing he was his assistant of some sort and then moved his arm as a sign that they should sit. Mustang tried to ignore the fact that he was going to talk to a _boy _about business and opened his suitcase to grab a folder.

"So, you want to hire my services to protect Alphonse Elric," he began, grabbing his jaw. Hughes noticed he always did that when he changed from Roy Mustang to Mustang, the professional bodyguard.

"My brother, yes," the blonde affirmed, nodding. "I heard of you and I thought it was a good idea to have some protection for him."

"Can you talk me a little more about your brother?" Roy inquired, lowering the folder.

Edward grabbed a picture frame of both him and Alphonse from the table he had at his side and handed it to the man. "This is Alphonse. He's 16 years old, currently a student at Bellingham High School. He's the top student of his generation and a member of the basketball team for the school." Edward's eyes met Roy's. It was obvious he was proud of his brother.

Roy was certainly hearing what the teen was saying, but he was lost in the intensity of that golden stare. He had never seen something like it before – like there was an adult in front of him locked in a teen body. "I guess he's one of the popular boys, isn't he?" Roy rumbled.

"Not the most popular, but certainly he's very well known and liked around the school."

The older man leaned on the couch, still running his fingers on his jaw looking at the picture. The kid didn't seem to be a bad one after all, but he was sure the popularity thing would cause him troubles. "Any particular reason you want to hire a bodyguard for him?" he finally said looking up at the boy, who was smirking at that point. What a _smirk_.

"None, I just want him to be more protected."

"You know, if that it's a lie, it would make my job more difficult." Roy smirked too, which surprised Hughes. That was the right way to talk to a potential client?

Edward wasn't that surprised, he seemed more satisfied that anything, actually. "Well, they say you're the best," he added with a grin.

The kid had guts indeed. "And I am."

"Well, then show me what you got," Edward suddenly proclaimed, standing up. "I can see you're in great shape so you must be good in hand-to-hand combat, but there must be something else that makes you that _good._"

Damn brat, who the hell he thought he was? "First, I have an issue to discuss." Roy also stood up. Edward stared at him, interested, so he took a step forward. "You can't hire me without the permission of your parents. You know that, right?" Maybe he had gone too far and judged them wrongly. This kid was so full of himself that he thought he could hire a bodyguard for his sixteen year old brother?

Edward didn't say anything for a moment and looked at the table from where he had grabbed the picture of Alphonse and him and saw some pictures of his parents. The man had assumed that they were alive because of that surely. "My parents are dead," he replied with an empty look. "I'm responsible for my brother, so I don't think that will be an issue."

Yeah, Roy felt stupid. He should have noticed the only pictures that included the boys' parents had been from when they were kids. He nodded apologetically and continued when the blonde shook his head. "So, do you want a demonstration of my special abilities?"

Edward merely nodded, so Roy looked around trying to see what he could to without damaging the place. It was then he saw Hughes pointing his hand towards a fireplace in the middle of the living room, so he smirked. In a fast move, he grabbed a glove from his pocket, put it in and snapped his fingers, creating a small explosion which ignited an immense flame.

He then glanced at the boy, who seemed to be analyzing the situation. "Fire alchemy, eh?" the blond murmured with a satisfied smile. "I like it, though fire and I are not best friends."

"I can create continuous fire attacks by just snapping my fingers," he informed the blond proudly. "And, as you said, I'm an expert in Kung-Fu and Aikido, and, of course, in the use of weaponry such guns, knives, and archery."

Hughes smiled at the impressive résumé of his friend and glanced at Edward, who seemed fairly satisfied.

"Then the job is yours if you want it."

Obsidian eyes stared at golden eyes for a moment. He had the feeling that something was missing, something important the boy wasn't telling him. Maybe it was just to satisfy his curiosity, but he decided that this indeed would be interesting.

"Then I'll take it."

Edward grinned and that was when the maid appeared with the tea pouring some of it in the cups. "My brother should arrive any minute. Please make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in a minute"

Both men nodded and the teen left the living room with his cell phone on his hand. That was when Hughes stared at Roy, confused.

"I thought you said you would never take a teen again."

Mustang sighed and scratched his head. "Yeah, I said that. But don't you think something here is off?"

"I'm quite sure something is off…but I'm not sure you should get involved."

"Don't be so paranoid, they are only kids. What could be_ that_ wrong?"

"The elder brother is not a kid," Hughes argued with a concerned gaze. "I'm sure you noticed the look in his eyes."

"That what makes it even more interesting."

"….Right," Maes conceded with a deep sigh. He couldn't blame his friend for wanting something more exciting than his last mission, but he had a really bad feeling about the whole thing. Still, he decided to keep his comments to himself.

The teen came back, still talking on the cell phone, but he immediately hung up the device and asked the maid to bring some snacks for the guests. He put his hand on his pocket and grabbed a set of card-keys.

"Here, these are the keys to all the doors of the apartment in case you need it. And this is the code of entrance. Without it, you won't be able to get here unless someone lets you in."

Roy nodded. "Understood."

"Do you usually ride in your client's car or you follow them in your own?"

"It depends on the client. Some do and some don't mind. Some just don't care either way."

Edward stared at the man thoughtfully as he was analyzing what his brother would say about that detail, but then the maid appeared with some delicious-looking snacks and placed them in the table.

"Be my guest," the teen said as he grabbed a tiny sandwich.

Roy and Hughes did as told and that's when they heard the elevator's door opening and a childish voice coming from it. Edward smiled and stood up so both men followed him. They saw a teen coming out of the elevator, cell phone at his ear. The boy was about the same height as his elder Elric with blonde brownish hair and eyes; it was obvious that they were brothers.

When Alphonse noticed the guests, he hurried to finish the call and hung up. "Good afternoon," he greeted politely, bowing as he did so.

"This is Alphonse Elric." Ed placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Al, this is Mr. Mustang and Mr. Hughes."

The boy nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Alphonse," they both replied at once. Roy had the feeling that he had been right; he looked like a good boy.

"Are you doing business with my brother?" Al inquired as they headed to the living room.

Roy didn't answer immediately; instead, he glanced at Ed who seemed a little…nervous?

"Hm…you could say that," the elder brother responded with a weird smile that caught Al's attention.

"What do you mean?"

As they reached the living room, Edward stopped and rubbed the back of his head. Why the sudden change of personality? A second ago the teen was all that confident and slightly arrogant…

"Well, it's just that, this time, the business includes…you," Ed answered, noticing the confused face of his little brother.

"I thought you said you didn't want me to get involve in your job."

The blonde just sighed. Well, he had to tell him sooner or later anyway. "Mr. Mustang will be your bodyguard from now on."

Alphonse blinked, completely baffled, and turned around to see Roy. For almost a minute, nobody said anything and Mustang wasn't sure if he was supposed to speak or something, but he saw Ed's face. The teen was expecting something. And then it happened.

"HE'S MY WHAT?!!"


	2. Elric Brothers

"**Elric Brothers"**

Hughes nibbled on the last snack left by the maid as he looked at Roy. The man was in front of him, sitting on the couch, watching the two teens at the balcony in silence. They were arguing, but the closed glass door didn't let didn't let any sound in, although Roy was quite sure as to what they were talking about.

"Brother, what's happening?! Why do I need a bodyguard?!"

Edward sighed. Of course his brother would be mad; he would be, too, if their positions were reversed. "It's just that I want you to be protected," the elder Elric told his brother with a concerned expression. "All your friends have bodyguards, and it's for a reason"

"Of course it's for a reason – it's because they didn't have a teacher like ours that taught us how to fight," Alphonse proclaimed, quite offended.

Ed noticed his brother's discomfort. "Please, Al, you're out for nearly the entire day and I don't know where you are most of the time."

"But I'm in the school for a majority of the day!"

"Still, our lives have changed a lot in the last few years and now a lot of people know who we are and how we live-"

"But I'm still strong, brother, and besides, I have my alchemy," the younger Elric stated, beginning to get irritated.

"I know that, and I've seen alchemy used as a powerful weapon, so have you, Al." Ed ran his hand through his bangs when one of the golden locks fell down into his eyes. "It's not enough anymore"

Alphonse stared at Edward for a moment. He really couldn't believe what his brother was saying. They had never argued like this before, but it wasn't really fair on Al's part.

"I don't want a bodyguard, brother. I don't need one." Al crossed his arms stubbornly.

Edward recognized his brother's tone of voice. Al rarely used it, but when he did, Ed always had to use the only card he had left. "I'm not asking you, Al. I want you to have a bodyguard and that's final," Ed instructed as he headed to the glass door.

"B-but brother!"

The blonde really hated when he had to play the parent role with Alphonse. Al always listened to him, but there were times when Ed had to face that his little brother wasn't that little anymore and he could make his own decisions, good and bad, but his own decisions nevertheless. However, this wasn't time for Al to give his opinion on the matter. Ed wanted him to be protected, whether the boy liked it or not.

"End of discussion, Al," the blonde said firmly opening the door. "Now let's get inside."

Alphonse threw his brother a shocked look but was aware that he had to accept it. He would have a bodyguard like all his classmates and he hated it. He didn't like the idea of being followed at all. But why? Why now? He had survived just fine through all these years; he had to defend himself only once and it was a minor robbery. It wasn't like he needed a bodyguard for that. Defeated, the teen followed his brother, who was already talking to Roy and Hughes.

He heard his brother telling the ebony-haired man his usual schedule, so there was no turning back. Not that he had any hope that Ed would think it over again, but now it was time to think about how everything would change. He felt as though Ed was telling him that he was weak, even though Al had proved to him that he wasn't.

Suddenly, he noticed that everyone in the room was looking at him and he flinched slightly blushed, "I-I'm sorry," he stammered, not sure what he was apologizing for, but then he remembered. "I'm sorry for how I behaved before."

"You don't need to apologize for that, Alphonse," Roy murmured with a smile. "I was just asking you if you could tell me your school's regulations for bodyguards."

Alphonse blushed, even more embarrassed, but he nodded. "Of course."

He followed Al and gestured for Hughes to do the same. His friend, however, was more interested in looking at the face of the big brother. Edward's attention was solely on his brother, but he seemed quite sad. Hughes had to turn around when the blonde noticed that he was being stared at. Hughes remained silent even though he was dying to say something. It wasn't his place to interfere.

Ed joined his brother and Roy, keeping his distance. He heard Al's instructions and the new bodyguard's sounds of affirmation – who was a little shocked since he didn't know the school had a lot of rules for bodyguards. But what really got his attention was how Al tried to appear like he was okay with the situation now, laughing at Roy's comments. It all made Ed feel even guiltier. Well, it was done and he knew it was necessary; Al won't be angry at him in a few days. Or so he hoped.

……….

"Well, this was fun after all!"

Roy threw his friend an odd look which made him smile. "It's weird, you know? A teenager is my boss…"

Hughes almost burst into laughter, but he decided to hold it. "That's bothering you?"

"No," the dark-haired man quickly answered, but he then he thought better of it. "Not that much, but it's just weird."

"Come on, let's celebrate with a beer," his friend suggested cheerfully. "I'll call everyone"

"Alright, but just because you won't leave me alone."

"Indeed, my friend, indeed."

Hughes opened his cell phone and began to call some friends while Roy fixed his charcoal eyes to the road, lost in his thoughts. At first he had thought the kids had received an inheritance since they were too young to really have any money and property of their own, but after seeing the big brother with the cell phone almost glued to his ear and Alphonse's confirmation that Ed had a job, Roy was curious to know what kind of work he did. Or maybe it was a combination of the two, an inheritance and a job. It was admirable in both situations though, an 18 year old boy working like he was all grown up to take care of his brother.

"Riza said that she can't believe that you took another teen," Hughes suddenly said with a grin.

"Tell her me neither."

Soon, they arrived to a well-known bar and both entered the place where their friends were already waiting. Fuery raised a hand to catch their attention and they approached the table, taking a seat. Roy ordered a scotch and a beer for Hughes.

"So," Havoc began with a glass on his hand, "tell us how you feel about your boss being half your age."

The man glared at Jean. "He's not half my age."

"Right, right. _Almost_ half your age."

Everyone busted out in laughter. Even Riza couldn't help but chuckle. Roy rolled his eyes in annoyance and took a drink of his scotch, hearing how Breda and Havoc did a dramatization of the interaction between him and his 'boss.' Great.

"Aside from his age," Falman suddenly interrupted, "do you happen to know more about him?"

The dark-haired man shook his head. "Not yet, but eventually I have to know more about their lives."

"It's just a spoiled kid with money," Havoc commented bitterly, which caught everyone's attention.

Fuery laughed. "I think someone is jealous."

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous?"

"Because he's young and rich?" Riza said sarcastically making everyone snicker.

"Hey! I'm young!" he complained, hurt. "And maybe I'm not rich, but it's not like I have to beg for money either."

Breda patted the man's shoulder. "Let it go, Havoc. It was a joke."

Roy smirked while everyone laughed of Jean's embarrassed face. His life would definitely be boring if he didn't had such 'unique' friends.

………….

Edward glanced at the door for the fifteenth time that night. Alphonse had gone out right after Mustang and Hughes left the department and it had been about 4 hours since then. He knew that his little brother usually did that when they had a fight and it wasn't actually late – it was only 9 p.m. – but he couldn't help it. He was worried.

He grabbed the brush he had brought from his bedroom, looking back to the TV, but not really paying attention to the transmission. The blonde let his hair down and began to brush it as his way to relax somehow, but he was failing. Miserably.

Finally, he heard the elevator opening and he straightened up immediately, dropping the brush. His brother appeared with his head down, like he always did when he wasn't angry anymore. Ed approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Al, I-"

The teen raised his hand and shook his head. "It's okay, brother. You don't have to apologize."

"But I-"

"I'm not mad at you."

Edward blinked a few times before he could react. "You're not mad?"

Alphonse smiled awkwardly. "Well, I was, of course. But I told you one time that I trusted your decisions, didn't I?"

"Yeah…but that was a long time ago," Ed informed him, cocking a brow.

"And I still remember," he added with a grin.

The blonde had to admit that his brother always made him smile. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before I hired him."

The boy waved his hand. "Just talk to me the next time, alright? That's what made me mad – the fact that you didn't ask for my opinion."

Stupid. That was the word that perfectly described how he was feeling right now. "I will, I promise."

Alphonse smiled happily and headed to the kitchen as his brother watched him. "I'm starving. I didn't eat anything while I was outside."

"Are you going to cook? Come on, let's order something."

The boy turned around and sighed at his brother's grin. "You're going to get fat if you keep ordering food."

"Fat?!" Ed barked with wide eyes. "Who are you calling fat?!"

Alphonse laughed mockingly and ran away since Edward was about to explode in fury, and he wouldn't dare to let the beast catch him.

"COME BACK HERE!"

The younger Elric locked himself inside his room as his brother began to hit the door. However, a grin showed up at Ed's face and clapped his hands.

"You will pay, Alphonse Elric."

Said that, he touched the door and it shined until the teenager removed his hands from it. He then got ready and kicked it…which only caused him pain. As he growled irritated, he heard Al's laughs.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!"

"That you thought I wouldn't be prepared to transmute the door, too," Al said as he opened it.

"Got ya!"

When Al opened his eyes – since the light left him blind for a moment – he saw how both of his hands were glued to the door unable to perform alchemy.

"I didn't know you liked your door that much. My bad," Ed mocked as he walked away. "Enjoy!"

"B-Brother!! Get back here!!"

"I have to order food or you will starve to death," he called from the living room, clearly holding back a laugh.

"BROTHER!"

………….

Roy got out of his car and entered the building, greeting the receptionist as he headed to the elevator. The man entered the code and the doors opened so he could get in. He checked his attire to make sure it was perfect – and it was, as usual – and soon the sound of the doors told him that he had arrived at his destination.

This time, there was no maid to receive him, so he decided to walk inside and look for the Elric boys. For some reason, the department once again filled him with amazement; so full of books and light. It just felt…right. Soon, he saw the elder Elric in front of the window, too absorbed in reading to notice that someone was behind him.

Wait a minute. How should Roy direct him? Mr. Elric? Edward? Mr. Edward? Damn. He had to choose one and now. "Mm…Mr. Elric?" He was being paid by the boy after all, wasn't he? The kid was the boss.

The blonde turned around, quite surprised, and lowered the book. His golden hair seemed to shine because of the sun. "Good morning, Mr. Mustang," he warmly greeted with a grin. "You can call me Edward. Mr. Elric makes me sound…old."

Was he, in some way, telling Roy that he was old? "Good morning, Edward."

The teen closed the book and put it back at the bookshelf. "Did you have breakfast?" he asked as he approached the maid to help her with the plates.

"Breakfast? Well, I had a cup of coffee."

The Elric threw him a disbelieving look. "That's not breakfast. Sit and eat with us."

Was Edward giving him _orders_? "That's okay. I can wait at the living room"

"If you don't eat, you won't be as alert as you could be and you're my brother's bodyguard. Eat."

Roy's jaw dropped and stared at the boy who had his finger pointing at one chair. Damn brat.

"You can have breakfast here every day if you can't at your house," he added as he saw Roy sitting down. The man noticed that it wasn't a suggestion, but a matter of choosing where we would like to have breakfast. He really wasn't used to eating anything in the morning.

"That's-"

"Good morning."

Both glanced at the boy who had just appeared in the living room with a soft smile, waving his hand.

"You almost overslept, didn't you?" Edward didn't need an answer – the boy's flinch at the accusation was enough.

"That's not true." Al said slightly blushed.

"Then why were you screaming, like, ten minutes ago?" the blonde asked as he sat down.

"Brother!" he complained, noticing that Roy was looking at them. "Come on, leave me alone."

Ed just snickered, still mocking Al, oblivious of Roy's gawping. If someone had told him that this was the interaction between the brothers, he would have never believed it. He thought the older brother to be far too above childish behavior for him to act like this.

"Mr. Mustang, I already talked to the Principal of the School, so everything is set," Alphonse suddenly informed him, snapping Roy out of his thoughts.

"Wonderful."

"This is the first time you've had to follow a teen?"

"No, my previous client was a teen too." The boys noticed Roy's pained expression.

"Bad experience?" Edward queried as he took a bite of his bread.

"The worst," Roy said, regretting saying anything at all a second later. "But I should not talk about my other clients."

Both teens grinned – how peculiar – so he smirked. "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone," Alphonse announced, holding his fork.

The older man sighed in resignation. Both boys were obviously waiting to hear the story. "He was 16 like you and from a rich family, of course, but he thought I was his slave and never listened to me when I sensed something was wrong. The worst client a bodyguard could have."

Both brothers laughed. "I won't be like that, I promise," Al assured with his characteristic smile. Yeah, Roy knew the kid was being sincere.

"And you better keep that promise, Al, since he doesn't charge what I consider to be a cheap fee," Ed warned after swallowing his food.

Roy threw the blonde a look, but the young man just took another bite of his breakfast. "So, Alphonse, would you like me to go in your car or would you prefer that I use mine?"

The teen shrugged. "I don't mind either way."

"Then he'll go in your car," Ed spoke up, his eyes closed as he ate.

Alphonse nodded and glanced at the clock at the wall. "Oh no! We have to go!" Al jumped up, running up to his room and Roy flinched at the sudden reaction.

Edward sighed. "Get used to it. He's not a morning person."

And Al really wasn't. The boy fixed his tie in front of the mirror, sloppily slipped his shoes on, and grabbed his backpack.

"Where are you going today, Brother?" Al asked after he had finished, glancing at the clock once more.

"To Litvin. It's just 30 minutes far from here," Ed answered, sipping his juice.

"Okay, then I'll see you at 4."

The brothers did a fist bump, their personal way of saying good bye, and Al stormed to the elevator. Roy raised his hand in parting as he followed the hurried teen and Ed did the same.

"It's really that late?" Roy questioned as Al grabbed his keys.

"No," he answered with a shy smile. "But I don't like to drive fast, so I have to go with time to spare."

Well, that would indeed be extremely different from the last time. He wouldn't have to fear for his life.

…………..


	3. Prodigy Boys

Thank you so much for all your reviews! I'm really glad you like the fanfic since I wasn't sure about it at first, but I love it now ^^

Maria: You will find about it in the next chapters, I promise!

………………………………………….

"**Prodigy Boys"**

Roy stared at Al's car while the dark blonde got inside the vehicle and started the engine. A 16 year old boy's car was better than his?! Roy got in, too, and closed the door, admiring the detailed interior. It was just amazing. The younger Elric noticed his astonishment and smiled shyly.

"I didn't choose the car. Someone gave it to Brother as payment."

The man flinched, slightly embarrassed that the boy had noticed what he was thinking. "Still, it's an incredible car."

Al grinned. "I agree."

Roy couldn't help but smile as he watched how the boy drove extremely carefully, following all transit laws under the sun. He really couldn't believe that someone with car like Al's drove that well and politely, but at least it would mean that he could actually enjoy the time he spent on the road; he thought he would die every day he had to be in his previous client's vehicle. And it wasn't nearly as nice as this one.

At one stop, the dark blonde turned on the stereo of the car, selecting one of the songs on the CD that was already in. Roy was expecting something like rock or metal maybe, but what he heard – it was something he wasn't expecting, _at all_.

'_Classical music?__ What were the chances…_'

"So, Alphonse," he began when the light turned green, "your brother told me some stuff about you."

The boy sweat dropped. "I'm quite sure he overdid it."

"He did?" Roy was curious. "Aren't you the top student of your class?"

Alphonse jumped slightly and blushed furiously. "…Yes."

"Aren't you a member of the basketball team?" Roy was almost teasing him.

"…Yes."

"Then he didn't exaggerate about you."

The younger Elric sighed in resignation, "He just like to make a fuss about it."

"He's proud of you," the older man assured with a smile. "You shouldn't be ashamed of your achievements either."

"Of course I'm not."

Well, this was his opportunity and he would take it. "Your brother – what's his job about?"

Alphonse stopped at a red light and smiled at his bodyguard. "He rebuilds any kind of construction that's been damaged with his alchemy," he said proudly. "Like the building at Lior that was about to fall a few days ago."

Roy's obsidian eyes widened as he glanced back at the boy. "…That was a skyscraper." His eyes grew even larger when Al nodded. "Are you telling me that you brother could fix a _huge _skyscraper using his alchemy and _just_ his alchemy?"

"Of course. He's just that powerful." Al's tone of voice showed he was very proud of his brother without a doubt.

As the light turned green and the car started off again, Roy stared at the road, his eyes still clearly expressing shock. How could a teenager manage to transmute something that immense and complex? How in Earth could he live only on _that_?

"He's gained a good reputation. Every day he has a new job," the teen informed Roy, figuring out what was bothering the older man.

Ahh, so that was how. It was really incredible. The elder Elric probably studied hard to achieve something so extraordinary. "I would like to see him in action someday." Roy smirked.

"He does some scientific research, too, every now and then," Alphonse added, his voice more serious. "Though he hasn't done any of it lately."

"Why?" Roy questioned, catching the teen's sudden change In tone.

"I don't know…he won't tell me," Al answered, turning the wheel to the right. "When I ask him he just says that he's busy with his job, but I'm sure there is another reason since he loves research."

Roy stared at the road, thinking over Alphonse's comment. He sounded worried for his brother's sudden loss of interest in research, and the elder Elric had just got him a bodyguard… He didn't regret taking the job. These brothers were amazing and he was dying to know more about them.

"That's the school," Alphonse suddenly announced, raising his hand to point at something in front in them.

Well, he wasn't expecting less. The Bellingham High School was a huge place with three buildings surrounded by beautiful gardens and an artificial lake. Quite impressive actually. Both got out of the car and walked amongst other chatting teenagers. Roy's attention was caught by the numerous bodyguards that were following other students; it was seemed impossible that someone would dare to attack them – or at school at least.

"I get now why you didn't want a bodyguard," the older man confessed to the teen, who smiled in embarrassment.

"I think ninety-seven percent of the students have one, including my friends," he stated.

"Well, now you don't have to feel any less special," the man said with a smirk.

Alphonse grinned, but then he heard someone yelling his name from behind, so both client and bodyguard turned to see a girl waving her hand cheerfully as she approached.

"Good morning, Al," she greeted cheerfully with a soft smile.

"Good morning, Winry," said boy murmured in turn. He then moved so he could introduce Roy. "This is Roy Mustang. Mr. Mustang, this is Winry Rockbell."

"Ahh, your brand new bodyguard," Winry said wickedly, shaking the man's hand.

"Please don't say that like it was something I bought," Alphonse complained, sweat dropping.

She just laughed. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Mustang," she uttered, finally looking at the man.

"Nice to meet you, too, miss."

Alphonse glanced around. "Have you seen Ling?"

Winry shook her head. "No, but he will be late as usual if he had breakfast."

The dark blonde chuckled and then both teens walked side by side, talking about something Roy couldn't hear since he was walking behind them…with the girl's bodyguard. He couldn't help but roll his eyes seeing how pathetic the man looked with his black suit and glasses. A truly good bodyguard didn't need that. However, he noticed that Al was looking at him as he had told him something.

"…Sorry?" Roy decided to ask.

"I said I don't want you to walk behind me," the boy repeated.

Roy stared at him, dumbfounded, not sure what that supposed to mean. "…But…"

"I don't care about bodyguard's protocol, I don't like it." Al smiled.

"…Right."

The man did as told and walked at the teen's side, taking in the conversation of the two, but also keeping his mind focused and alert. According to the elder Elric, his brother wasn't in danger, but Roy was sure that wasn't entirely true, so he would have to act like Alphonse was a target.

As they entered the building, Roy analyzed the group of students to determine who were the popular gang, the 'geeks', the intelligent, the sportive…it wasn't hard in a High School, anyway. Amazingly enough, he saw that almost everyone in the hallway stopped to greet Al. So that was what Edward meant with 'well known and liked.'

The two teens opened their lockers to grab some books while they continued chatting cheerfully. Roy focused on glancing around, getting used to the dynamics of the place. However, his eyes stopped when he saw a teen approaching them…an odd teen. He frowned readied himself to attack if necessary, but he sweat dropped when he saw how the boy fell in the floor, catching everyone's attention.

Al and Winry just sighed and approached the teen to help him to stand up while the bodyguard – a woman – grabbed the kid's backpack and gave him a muffin, which he took it with an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry, I couldn't breakfast since I woke up late," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I think I turned off the alarm, but I don't remember."

Winry shook his head. "One day you'll actually do something and hurt yourself. You should be more careful."

"I know, I know." The boy bowed his head, ashamed.

Alphonse then smiled. "Ling, I want you to meet Mr. Mustang. This is Ling Yao, an exchange student from Xing."

That explained the eyes. "Nice to meet you."

"He forgot to say that I'm the twelfth prince of Xing," Ling informed Roy, shaking his hand.

Roy eyes twitched, but he noticed Al waving his hand telling him to let it go, so he did.

"It's nice to know that Alphonse is now protected," the teen added as he opened his locker.

However, the younger Elric narrowed his eyes. "Protected from what?"

"…I don't know…crazy fangirls?" Ling added, shrugging.

"He's right, you know," Winry concurred, nodding.

Al just rolled his eyes, but then the alarm went off; time to start classes. "I'll see you at lunch, Mr. Mustang."

Roy nodded and watched the kids disappear through the hallway and turned around. However, he suddenly stopped. Ling's bodyguard was in front of him with his arms crossed and a glare on her eyes.

"Excuse me," he said as he walked away, feeling the glare of the woman still on his back. Who the hell she was anyway? Maybe a woman he had promised to call? No way, he would at least have the dignity to remember her face.

He went to the gardens and walked around, enjoying the peaceful quiet of the place, amazed by the detailed decorations and the animals living there. He would really like coming here every day. However, the fact that there were so many bodyguards waiting for their teens made him feel uneasy, he wasn't sure why though.

Finally, it was time for the break and Roy waited in the same hallway until he saw Al, Winry and Ling walking towards him. He joined them as they headed to the cafeteria.

"Did you get bored?" Alphonse inquired.

"Not quite," Roy replied, still looking around. "The place is amazing."

Al smiled, but he didn't say anything. The place was loud with all the teens talking and the sound of the dishes clanging. Roy waited over by a table while the three grabbed their lunch – and his coffee of course – and saw how Ling's and Winry's bodyguards leaned on the wall with their arms crossed. Maybe he should move there too.

However, the younger Elric appeared by his side handing him a cup with coffee and taking a seat at his side…well, maybe he shouldn't.

"I think I'm going to die if we have to learn all that formulas," Ling complained as he took a bite of his food.

Winry grabbed her soda. "I don't think they were that hard," she announced with a grin. "But I do love calculus."

Ling was about to throw her a glare, but then they heard the squeals of a bunch of girls and glanced over to see what was happening. Roy didn't get it, but the three teens looked back at their food again and began to talk.

"Who's that?" he risked asking since the girls were really noisy.

"He's the most popular boy in School," Winry answered; her voice held a hint of annoyance. "Russell Tringham."

Roy looked over the boy and immediately noticed why. Blond hair, blue eyes, athletic body and a charming smile – all in one package. There was always one of them in each school, wasn't there?

Suddenly, Alphonse flinched and covered his mouth with his hand. "Oh, no! I forgot that I had to go to the library."

He ate as fast as he could – and he was _really fast_ – and stood up, almost choking. He made a sign with his hand to the other teens and hit his chest, trying to swallow the food.

"Take it easy, Al. See you in class." Ling snickered.

However, Winry sighed. "Mr. Mustang, please make sure he gets to class on time. When he goes the library, he always shows up late."

Al just ran away after he nodded and Roy smirked and followed him, quite amused. He loved the libraries and he always used to be at the one at his old school when he was a kid rather than playing soccer or whatever the other kids liked to call it. In short, he was a lot like Al. He found Al at his locker, grabbing four books and then running through the hallway down to the library. Roy caught up with him and took two books from his hands.

"Let me help you."

Alphonse nodded, grateful. "Thanks, I'm used to running with a pile of books," he muttered, slightly embarrassed.

"And I believe you," the man assured as he read the titles of the books he had taken. "I assume you're an alchemist, too."

"Yeah, not as great as my brother thought, but I do my best", he said with a soft smile. Was this kid always that…kind and gentle?

"Did you learn all by yourself?" Roy queried, slightly excited to hear the story.

Alphonse nodded with a grin. "We learned the basics alone, reading books and that stuff," he began, "but then we had a Teacher that taught us how to use that knowledge in right way."

"A Teacher?"

"Yes, maybe you will meet her someday." The teen didn't quite look happy about the suggestion, but the man couldn't ask further since they arrived at the library.

The place was huge. He couldn't believe a High School had such large library, but at least he found the place where he would spend the hours the kid was in class.

"Your classmates really use all this material?"

Alphonse laughed. "Of course, if they want to stay at this school, they should. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to pass the exams and write proper papers."

Roy blinked a few times before he nodded, surprised. "I see."

Alphonse got back in the classroom in time thanks to Roy. That meant that Roy had a few more hours to spend in his brand new spot. He wasn't sure if High School required such an amazing library, but hey, it was here and he would take advantage of it.

However, the hours went by quick as he read the book Quantum Mechanics Demystified and the alarm announced that the teens were in their way to the dressing rooms to change their clothes. For Al, it meant basketball time.

Roy sat down in the bleachers and watched his client's excellent performance as the shooting guard of the team, although he was sure Al was the youngest of the players. What were the Elrics made of anyway? The elder was an exceptional alchemist according to Al, and the younger sibling was a great student and a wonderful basketball player. Was there anything they couldn't do right?

He waited for the teen outside the dressing room. Al finished and both walked to the parking area, Al talking on his cell with Ling about a paper they had to do. When they got in the car, the boy hung up and got it, trying to get out of there before all the students tried to do the same.

"If we don't hurry at this hour, the exit becomes a mess," Al justified himself, turning on the stereo.

Roy nodded in agreement. "You did great at the practice, you know."

"We're training to get to the Nationals." Al smiled cheerfully. "We want to get that trophy this year."

The man was about to say something, but the boy's cell phone rang again. Al stopped in front of a red light and decided to take the call. "Brother?"

Roy just stared at Al while he talked to the elder Elric; apparently, there was a change in plans that afternoon that made the teen grin as he hung up.

"Did you say that you wanted to see my Brother in action?"

…………….

They arrived into a nice neighborhood with medium sized houses but lots of trees and green areas. The perfect place for a family to live. However, that was not what they had come to see. Roy noticed where they were heading to; a bunch of people and a fire truck were in front of a house that was consumed by flames.

Both got out of the car and approached the crowd, looking for Edward. They finally saw him talking to an inconsolable couple; the owners of the house, surely. Roy's brow lifted when he noticed the attire of the blonde. It was…peculiar to say the least. Black leather and a crimson coat wasn't what he would call the most comfortable clothes to wear considering the weather.

"There he goes," Al announced with pride. Roy made sure to watch the entire thing.

Edward stood in front of the house and observed it for a moment – he was calculating something. There was no wind, but still the couple's families brought wood in case it was necessary, so everything was set.

The blonde approached the destroyed building, clapped his hands, and a light blinded all the people present for almost half of minute until it faded out. Roy heard the shocked cheers of the people and the screams of joy from the couple and their family. His eyes widened when he saw the brand new house in front of the teen, perfectly reconstructed.

He then stared at the blonde, who was still checking if everything was perfect. H-How…? There was no transmutation circle in there! Not even on the kid's gloves, like he had on his! Al noticed Roy's astonishment and grinned.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it? He does this kind of thing for free. He just charges enterprises or businesses."

Roy just nodded since his jaw was too busy hitting the ground at the moment. He saw Edward approaching the couple and the woman hugged him – he backed up, blushing – and then he walked over the crowd. He heard Al's voice calling him, his brother waving happily at him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he demanded, not quite reproachfully as he was smiling.

"I decided to pay you a visit since I'm sure you walked here. Am I wrong?" the younger brother teased, a smile dancing on his lips.

"As always, you aren't."

It was then golden orbits met obsidians. Roy couldn't hide his amazement even if he had tried and both stared at each other for a moment as Al looked for the keys of the car in his backpack. Who _was_ this boy? He had never met anyone that could perform alchemy without a transmutation circle, let alone transmute a whole house at once.

A slight breeze blew by and Edward had to flick back a golden lock away from his face. He was following Al to the car, but stopped to draw a self-satisfied smirk at Roy and then continued on. Roy just looked at him thoughtfully, and then followed the boys quietly.

This was certainly turning out to be more and more interesting every. And it was just the beginning.

………


	4. The Call

Thank you so much for all your reviews! You make me so happy =)! And still, I have to announce that I'll be out of the city for a week, so I won't be able to update. But I'll do my best when I'm back!

**Lakara Valentine**: I thought of it, but I think a Mustang wouldn't fit Alphonse's personality at all XD. I think of it as an aggressive car XD.

"**The Call"**

Roy took out his cell phone and saw Hughes' picture in the screen. He rolled his eyes and pressed the button as he put the device on his ear.

"Hey, Hughes."

"I really thought you weren't going to answer," Hughes snickered. "Were you busy?"

"No, I was just…enjoying the view."

And it wasn't a lie. When Alphonse was busy in home, Roy always stood in front of the huge windows, just watching the sight of the city. He didn't know why, but he learned to love that habit.

"So you're in the department?" Hughes interrupted his thoughts, quite surprised.

Roy ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, the kid had some biology or chemistry homework," he murmured, glancing around the place. "They have a laboratory here since the older brother likes scientific research."

Maes chuckled. "How impressive."

"I know," Roy agreed. "So, is there a specific reason you called?"

"Right! We're going to the bar club tonight. Do you think your boss would let you come?" Hughes teased.

The raven-haired man growled. "It really depends on Alphonse. If he wants to go out tonight I have to go with him, otherwise I'm free."

"Shoot, since he's a teenager…"

"Mr. Mustang." Roy turned around and saw the younger Elric scratching the back of his head, slightly ashamed. "Oh, oh. I'm sorry. I'll wait."

"I'll call you later, Hughes," he told the phone as he hung up and smiled at the boy. "That's okay, tell me."

The teen nodded. "Can you help me with something?"

Roy blinked a few times, surprised, but he smiled again and followed the boy to one of the rooms. It was a small laboratory, but it had everything a scientist could possibly need to do research. Winry and Ling were there with lab robes, plastic glasses, and gloves – just like Al – manipulating some liquids.

"Mr. Mustang, can you help us with this?" Winry suddenly asked him, dropping her head over the table, exhausted.

The man glanced at Al who gave him a robe. "Since you're an alchemist, can you help us with our project?"

Well, he wasn't expecting that. "Of course, kids. Just tell me what it is about."

"I'm telling you guys, we should do something simpler," Ling complained. "The deadline is Monday and we haven't finished." Winry glared at him and he just sweat dropped in resignation. "…I'll choose another team the next time. Less ambitious."

"Stop whining, Ling. You need an A in this project, remember?" the girl reminded him, causing the boy to flinch.

However, Al sat between the two. "Guys, guys, drop it. If Mr. Mustang can't help us solve it, we'll do something simpler, okay?"

Roy glanced at the notes of the teens as they argued and tapped his fingers thoughtfully. Ling was right, their project was pretty ambitious, but he liked challenges.

"I got an idea," he suddenly announced, interrupting their discussion and grabbing a pencil. He wrote something down at the notebook while Alphonse watched, trying to analyze what he was doing.

After a minute, Al smiled excitedly. "I think that will work!" he exclaimed, handing the notebook to his friends for them to see. "I'm sorry that we had to bother you. I usually ask my brother."

Roy smiled. "Where did he go today?"

"He left early," Al murmured as he averted his eyes, embarrassed. "He tried to wake me up and tell me but I can't remember."

Ling and Winry chuckled at Alphonse's comment and he turned to them with narrow eyes. "Come on, let's try this out," Ling tried to change the subject. "I'm hungry."

The blonde girl rolled her eyes. "You're always hungry, Ling."

Ling's brows twitched and threw her a look, and Alphonse suggested beginning the experiment again. Roy watched them attentively for a while as they mixed some liquids together and wrote in their notebooks. Then he noticed Ling's female bodyguard leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and her eyes closed.

Winry's protector dropped her off and left, but Ling's decided to stay even though she knew Roy would be with them. That meant that she didn't trust him and it bothered him a little. He glanced back at the experiment and noticed that they were pretty satisfied so far. He felt glad that he could help them.

Roy remembered when he was a student at High School, he was very much like Alphonse. Top student and a great soccer player, with the only difference being that he was arrogant; he always had to be the best in anything he did. He met Hughes and Riza back, the former always creating the most bizarre clubs and the latter being the envy of all the girls since she could hang with him. Oh yeah, he was arrogant.

He didn't go on to College, of course, since he decided that he wanted to study to become a State Alchemist, and that was a full time 'job' until the exam. He didn't regret dropping out of school, but he was always wondered how his life would have been different if he had chosen to further his studies. A squeal snapped him out of his thoughts and saw the happy trio watching his experiment. It had been a success. Of course it had been.

The man was amazed though that the teenagers had chosen such a hard experiment and had managed to make it to that point. It was just a minor detail that they had overlooked in their original experiment, the rest was perfectly done. He heard a noise outside the room and so did Ling's bodyguard. He nodded in her direction, telling her that he would go to check.

He left the lab and walked through the apartment with all his senses alert and ready to catch anything. However, he flinched when he saw the elder Elric on his feet in front of the large window, his cell phone in one hand over his ear.

Roy was about to turn around and go back to the room, but he heard how the teen hissed a "No" and he looked again. Edward's hands were shaking – in fury he guessed – and he could see the blonde's face reflected in the window; he was frowning and gritting his teeth. Another "No", this time as a final word as he hung up the phone.

The teen leaned his head on the window and dropped his hand, still clutching his cell. He was still shaking in fury, but Roy couldn't see his face anymore. He thought of leaving Ed alone since it wasn't his business, but he just couldn't. In that moment, he frowned, shocked when he saw how the teen's hand turned into a fist around the cell phone making it that the device broke.

Edward raised his hand to see what he had done and sighed. "Damn it…" He clapped his hands and touched the phone to transmute it; in a second, it was as good as new. He turned around and walked to the kitchen to grab some water. The younger boy took a seat in the breakfast bar and swung his glass back and forth thoughtfully, oblivious to the stare of Mustang.

He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair with an empty stare. Then he shook his head and drank the water. Roy didn't understand why he just couldn't just turn and leave. He justified himself by telling himself that Edward looked like he really needed to talk to somebody.

Still undecided, he took a step forward and caught Ed's attention. The blonde almost winced; he thought he had been alone. Roy almost hit himself, but raised a hand and drew out a smile. "Good evening, Edward."

Said boy forced a smile. "Good evening."

"Sorry if I interrupted something. I just wanted to grab some water," he excused himself quickly.

"That's okay. Here." He pushed the water jug towards Roy and handed him a glass. "How are they doing with their project?"

"Pretty well actually," Roy replied casually as he poured the water in the glass. "I think they're almost finished."

Edward smiled. "I'm glad." He drank some water and coughed to clear his throat. "Do you know if he's going out tonight with them?"

Roy shook his head. "I haven't asked him yet."

Golden eyes stared at onyx for a second. "Don't you have a date or something?"

Roy's eyes twitched and narrowed. "Not really. Why?"

The blonde shrugged. "Just asking." But then he smirked. "It's just that someone your age, Saturday night…"

The raven-haired man rolled his eyes. "In that case, are going out in a date tonight?"

Edward snorted. "I don't have the time or the energy."

"Come on, you're 18 years old and you talk like a 35 year old man," Roy said, a smirk dancing in his lips.

The blonde tapped his fingers and looked at him with a bored expression. "Whatever."

Roy then stared at him. He was suddenly quiet, looking at his hand, lost in his mind. Roy felt the urge to ask him why he was worried, but he had been Alphonse's bodyguard for only a week and their previous conversation had been the longest they had ever had. It wasn't his place to ask. "I'll ask Alphonse if he has plans for tonight."

Edward flinched at the comment, but he looked up and nodded. "Of course"

And so he went, forcing his mouth to remain shut. The trio was celebrating their success already with some snacks – to Ling's relief; he felt like he would fall unconscious if he didn't eat – and finishing their notes. Alphonse had turned on his laptop to finish up the project.

"Your brother is here, Alphonse," Roy announced, taking a seat.

The boy smiled happily. "Really? I'll tell him to come in."

Roy grabbed him by the shoulder. "Wait, I think he was busy talking to the phone. He'll come when he is done."

"Oh, alright," the younger, darker-haired blonde agreed, nodding.

"I wanted to ask you if you planned on going out tonight," Roy told Al as he sat down again.

He shook his head. "No, Winry will be busy with her automail and Ling…"

Winry and Al glanced at the teen that was eating his sandwich. He swallowed. "Family dinner. Some aunts and uncles came from Xing."

"You should bring Mei-Chan next time," Winry told him with a smile. "I miss her."

"…I don't want to deal with that brat," Ling grumbled, crossing his arms, one brow lifted.

"Come on, we haven't seen her for a while now," Alphonse insisted.

The boy sighed, but he finally nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I'll bring her next time."

Edward came into the room then and waved his hand. "Hey there, how's that project going?"

"We're done actually," Alphonse informed his brother proudly. "We have to finish the paper, but that won't take too long."

The blonde leaned on the table and watched them carefully for a few moments then praised them, saying, "Excellent as always."

"Mr. Mustang helped us," Al added, grabbing a sandwich. "We would be still stuck if he hadn't."

Roy saw how the elder Elric looked at him. "Thank you."

He wasn't sure what those eyes were telling him though. "Anytime."

"Ed, please remember to stop by my place tomorrow. You were supposed to go last Sunday," Winry suddenly cut in, taking a bite of her sandwich.

The other rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Grandma will come for you if you don't go," she insisted, narrowing her light blue eyes. "You've been warned."

"I wouldn't dare challenge Mrs. Pinako if I were you," Ling cautioned with his brows raised.

Alphonse chuckled at his brother's annoyed face. "Let's finish this, come on."

Edward just stared at the experiment while the team discussed everything over. Roy watched him discreetly. After a moment, he sighed and checked his cell phone to see what time it was.

"I'll go home, Edward. I have to get ready," he announced suddenly as he stood up.

The blonde glanced at him and grinned. "I wasn't wrong then?"

"…About the date? Yes, you were," Roy returned with a smirk. "I'm going to go out with a group of my friends."

"Sure," the boy remarked, grin still in place.

Roy gave him a look, then thought of something. "Why don't you come with me?"

The boy was clearly taken out off guard and his eyes widened. "…I-I…"

"I assume you don't have a date or anything, am I right?" Roy teased him, crossing his arms.

"Of course not, but I…" Edward glanced at Alphonse. "B-but I have to be there with him, remember?"

…An irrefutable excuse, of course. He just smirked, amused by Ed's expression. The boy glared at him, but averted his eyes, obviously irritated.

Roy then he glanced at the trio. "I'll see you on Monday, you three." Alphonse and Winry waved their hands, Ling just nodded. "With your permission."

Edward watched him walk away, quite curious. Roy had been acting quite oddly today. They had never really talked before. Why had Roy asked him to go with him anyway? Maybe he just wanted to tease him…how amusing. The blonde remained quiet, hearing the discussion of the trio and shifting his eyes to the cell phone over the table every now and then.

He grabbed the device and looked at the last call received, but he didn't see anything new; just the 'Private' label that had been there from before. He held back the urge to throw it away and sighed, trying to clear his mind, which he was having hard time doing.

After almost an hour, Winry and Ling left since they had finished. The girl, of course, reminded him once again about their appointment for tomorrow. When they were definitely gone, Alphonse stretched his arms and approached Edward, who was doing something in his laptop.

"I'm so relieved that we finished today. I'm exhausted."

Edward smiled. "You worked hard. Take a break tomorrow."

"I will," Al agreed with a grin. "Since we're going to see Grandma Pinako tomorrow…"

The elder Elric sweat dropped. "Let's do something that's more fun than that."

"Of course not, brother! You know that this is important."

Ed growled in annoyance and looked back at his computer. "Right."

"So," Alphonse began, taking a seat in front of Edward. The blonde looked up with a cocked brow at his brother's change of tone. "Why didn't you go with Mr. Mustang?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were busy doing that paper."

"I was, but I heard him talking to you, too," he told his brother cheekily with a grin.

Edward stared at him for a moment. Then he glanced back at the laptop. "I don't have the time for that. Besides, I won't leave you alone."

The younger Elric sighed. "Brother, please tell me what's wrong."

The blonde flinched, but quickly changed his shocked expression. "What are you talking about?" he asked forced confused face.

"You never had to worry about me and you never were until recently," Al explained, his face showing all his concern. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"But I told you before." Ed shifted in the couch. "Don't make up stories, come on."

The younger Elric narrowed his eyes, thoughtfully analyzing his brother's face. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, Al," he lied, more confident by that point.

"Mm." The dark blonde smiled slightly sad. "You know, you should have accepted Mr. Mustang's invitation. I think he had noticed the same thing that I've been telling you since forever."

"…What the hell are you talking about?"

Alphonse leaned in the couch. "That you should go out and get fun. You don't have friends besides us three, brother."

Edward opened his eyes, surprised by the comment, but then he put in his usual mask of indifference. "I don't need any more friends, Al. You know it."

"Of course you do, but you're always working. You know you don't have to work that hard anymore", Alphonse insisted with a voice full of concern.

The blonde stared at him for a moment. Al could see that he wanted to say something – something important – but it vanished in a second. "I'm happy, Al. That's all that should matter to you." His voice was flat. "Let's talk about something else, please."

Al looked at him in resignation and sighed. "Well, I'm hungry and the maid is gone already." He stood up and headed to the kitchen. "I'm not in the mood for cooking anyway."

"Order whatever you want, but make sure you order enough," Ed instructed, his eyes still on the screen. "I'm starving."

"Okay!" Alphonse grabbed the house phone and was about to dial some numbers when it rang. He pushed a bottom and put it on his ear, "Hello?…Oh…Hi!"

Edward was checking his e-mail with his brows furrowed. He opened one of them, but he deleted it immediately when he felt anger rush through him. This had to stop, but he didn't know how without giving up to their demands and he just couldn't do that.

However, he heard Al approaching so he closed the window and turned around, confused, to see the boy's face. Al seemed half excited, half scared. And that could only mean one thing…

"She wants to talk to you," the younger Elric whispered handing him the phone.

The blonde felt how he began to sweat like crazy, but he grabbed the device and put it on his ear. "Hi?"

Alphonse heard the conversation as he walked around the living room. He decided to order the food; they would need it. Ten minutes later, Edward hung up, his head down in exhaustion.

"So?" Al asked urgently, quite sure of the announcement that was to come.

"They're coming tomorrow," Edward informed his brother, comically depressed. "They're half way here already."

The boy's body straightened nervously. "Did she say why?"

Ed shook his head. "We can only hope that it's merely a visit."

And still, they were terrified.

………………..


	5. Family

"**Family"**

"Al! Where are you?!"

The blonde narrowed his eyes when his brother didn't answer. He looked around his apartment checking if everything was in its place for the fifth time that afternoon; it had to be perfect. However, the clock at the wall told him it was already late.

"Al!"

"Coming!", the childish voice finally said from the kitchen. When he finally showed up to the apartment entrance, he tried to clean his hands from the flour, "I just finished the pay"

Edward just smiled at his brother and then the light of the elevator turned on; somebody had just got in. Both brothers glanced at each other and shifted nervously.

"Do you think…she's mad?", Al asked his big brother poking his hands on his pockets.

Edward gulped, "I don't know. Maybe"

The elevator finally stopped and both brothers felt a shiver along his spine, but tried to hide it when the doors opened. The first thing they saw was a huge man carrying the luggage and an apparent unfriendly look in his eyes. However, as the man stepped inside the apartment, he dropped the bags and hugged both teenagers.

"Uncle Sig! You're going to break us in two!", Edward barked trying to get himself free from those huge arms.

The man finally released them and patted the teen's blonds' hair, "It's been a while, boys"

"It's good to see you, uncle Sig", Alphonse finally said as the man smiled.

"I don't believe that", a female voice said behind Sig, "You haven't visited us in almost three months"

"Aunt Izumi", Al greeted her, "We're very sorry, you know that if we could have gone, we certainly would have"

The raven eyes of the woman showed understanding, but the frowned brows kept the Elrics nervous. "I want you to go home once a month at least, alright?"

Izumi finally smiled and hugged the teens dropping the bags she was carrying. Both brothers smiled her back and hugged her apprehensively for a brief moment. When she finally drew her back, Edward grabbed the luggage she had dropped and everyone headed to the living room, but he stared puzzled at Izumi; why hasn't she scolded them as she usually did?

"I must say, boys", Izumi said suddenly, "This place is amazing"

Edward raised a brow, "Al chose it. I'm sure he has better taste that I do""

"I'm pretty sure of that too", the woman assured him which made the boy glare at her, "Come on, show me what you have been doing lately"

As Alphonse began to talk, Izumi followed him to the laboratory. Edward just smiled and turned to Sig, "I'll show you your room"

The big man nodded with a smile on his face and followed the blonde through the apartment until he opened a door of a nice bedroom. "I have to say, little Edward", the boy's eye twitched at the 'little', "This place is really something"

The blonde nodded, "I agree", he was about to turn around when he noticed that Sig was about to say something.

"You know, we've heard some things about you, Edward"

He raised a brow, "Good things, I hope"

Sig nodded, "About you helping people with your alchemy". The man smiled when Edward's face showed his surprise, "Izumi is very proud"

Ed just stared at the man for a brief moment puzzled, but then something clicked on his mind, "That was the reason she's in such good mood then?", Sig just nodded, "I knew something was up with her"

"Your name is becoming famous and when a visitor told us about your achievements, Izumi couldn't hide her expression, she was too proud"

The teen smiled quite awkwardly, but he nodded and headed to the laboratory where Alphonse was showing Izumi his last experiment. He waited at the frame of the door until Al finished explaining all his projects to Izumi, quite amused at the amazed expression on the woman's face.

"I'm so proud of you, Alphonse", Izumi finally said admiring Al's work and patting the boy's head, "You know that, right?"

"Of course, aunt Izumi"

"I assume you want to go out to eat", Ed said suddenly catching their attention.

Izumi then approached him, "Of course, I want to buy some stuff too", she said with a smile, but his voice gave Ed the creeps.

The blonde almost rolled his eyes, but he knew better than to do that in front of her; she would kick his ass. However, her voice could only mean than she wanted to be at the mall for _hours_.

"Come on, you can show me your apartment later", she finally said snapping him out of his thoughts, "The food at the train was horrible"

Alphonse chuckled at the annoyed face of Edward and both then followed Izumi who headed to the elevator since Sig was already waiting for them.

"I want to go to that restaurant we went the last time we came here", Izumi said as the doors of the elevator were closing, "I want to steal their hot cake recipe"

Alphonse glanced at Ed for a moment, "I don't think you should do that, aunt"

Izumi just smiled, but again it was the kind of smile that creepy'd both Edward and Alphonse: Her aunt had a plan. An evil plan. Few minutes later, the four were in Edward's car, a Jaguar C-XF, heading to the biggest mall in the city. The blonde could see Izumi's astonished face examining the car, but he couldn't tell if she was mad or just…amazed. He better not ask thought. Alphonse could sense Ed's tension, but he didn't say anything either. As they arrived to their destination, the four got out of the car and headed to the mall which, of course, was crowed since it was Sunday.

"I thought it would be emptier since it's before noon", Edward complained in low voice. He sighed and followed Al.

"I still think she's mad at us", the younger Elric said in a whisper so only his brother could hear.

The blonde gulped, "Yeah, me too"

Both brothers hurried since Sig and Izumi had left them behind and were already inside a store choosing clothes. For almost an hour, Ed and Al carried Izumi's bags while the spouses shopped; the problem was, their stomachs were growling as hell.

The blonde groaned in annoyance, "I think I'm going to pass out if we don't eat something very _soon_"

"We should have eaten something before", Al agreed, "There they come!"

The Elrics jumped from their seat and Izumi signed them to follow her and Sig, hopefully to the Luch Area of the mall. And luckily for them, they weren't wrong.

"Edward, keep our table, Alphonse can buy your food", the woman ordered him suddenly when he was about to drop the bags and run away to see what he wanted to eat. The boy stared at her for a moment puzzled, but he sighed and sat down. However, a moment later, Izumi sat in front of him instead of going with Sig as he thought she would do.

She stared at him, intensively. Of course, Ed would not look away. His eyes were as strong as hers too, and he wanted to find out why she was acting that odd. To his surprise, Izumi smiled and looked away.

"You think I'm mad at you, don't you?"

The blonde didn't move, not even a flick. He wasn't sure if she was confirming that o just making fun of him. "Maybe"

Izumi looked at him again, stronger this time, "I was", was her answer and Ed's body shook involuntarily, "You knew I would kick your ass for taking advantage of your alchemy to make money"

And that was when Edward's bravery ran off. He had to say something and _fast_!, "Teacher…I-I"

However, she shook her head. "No explanations. I also have heard about your other job". Ed's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't say anything yet, "I must say, Edward, I'm impressed"

The boy sighed in relief, but he still remained quiet.

"You should thank Sig, he talked to me when I found out where were you living. He made me realize that you weren't a child anymore and I have to accept the life you and Al chose", Izumi's voice was calm and sincere, so Ed decided to relax finally.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before, Teacher. I knew you would have wanted to kill me"

Izumi smiled, "I've told you million of times to call me Aunt, I'm not your Teacher anymore"

Edward smiled her back, but that was when Sig and Al showed up with breakfast in trays, so the conversation was over; for now at least. The four chatted cheerfully – well, actually Sig only listened -, mainly about what Ed and Al had been doing after they left Dublith.

"Brother, stop talking about me", Alphonse complained when he noticed Edward had been talking about him for almost half an hour.

"It's OK Al, I'm really happy that you decided to go back to school", the woman said softly, "I knew you would be a better student than your brother".

"Hey!", the blonde barked.

The three only laughed, but Ed just growled and took a bite of his food. He was sure he would have been a terrible student since he's a mess with deadlines and that stuff, but other than that, he wouldn't have been _that_ bad. Maybe.

Suddenly, Al drew closer to Ed, "Look, brother. It's Mr. Mustang!"

Oh no. Edward felt a shiver along his spine when he saw the raven-haired man in one of the tables reading the newspaper with a coffee mug in his hand. That wasn't the problem, the problem was that Al was already walking towards the man to say hi; Izumi couldn't know that he was Al's bodyguard, she_ must_ not know. He jumped from his seat and followed Al to Roy's table to make sure he only went to say hi.

"Good morning, Mr. Mustang", the boy said politely catching the man's attention.

"Alphonse, Edward, good morning", the man greeted them back folding the newspaper, "What brings you here this early?"

"Our aunt and uncle are visiting us and they wanted to go out to have breakfast", Alphonse said stepping aside so Roy could see Izumi and Sig.

He was surprised thought. He really thought the boys didn't have any family, "I see"

"Are you waiting for someone?"

Roy looked up at Ed who seemed to be wondering why he was there having breakfast alone, "Not really. I use to come here Sunday mornings"

And then, Ed was too slow to see the mistake he had made, "Why don't you join us then?", Alphonse asked him with a smile.

The terrified eyes of the blonde didn't pass unadvertised to the man, "That's ok, Al. I don't think your aunt and uncle will be pleased to have an intruder"

"Come on, you're not an intruder. Join us", the younger Elric insisted joyfully,

Roy glanced at Edward who now was quite resigned. However, Al seemed ready to insist even more if needed, "Alright, let's go"

The blonde's brows twitched, but he didn't say a word; he had to think how to get out of this one and fast. However, he noticed that Roy had a smirk on his face, a malicious and dirty smirk. He was so screw!

"Don't worry, I won't say anything", the man suddenly told him when Al was a few steps ahead.

Ed flinched surprised at the comment, but still he threw the man a warning glare. When they approached their spot, Alphonse placed Roy's coffee and newspaper in the table.

"Aunt Izumi, Uncle Sig, he's Mr. Roy Mustang, he's my-"

"Professor", Roy interrupted the boy who glanced at him with wide eyes, "Chemistry Professor"

"So you're the one that keeps pushing Al to develop his potential in the lab", the woman said with a smile.

For a moment, Roy couldn't help but to look back at the astonished boy at his side while Edward glared at Al so he would follow the lie.

Finally, the younger Elric reacted, "Y-yes aunt, he is"

The three took a seat and Izumi quickly began to question Roy about his 'chemistry project' for being too easy for a boy like Alphonse.

"I agree with you, Mrs Curtis. But until Alphonse becomes a senior, there's pretty much nothing I can do about it".

"I see"

Alphonse didn't say a word. He just stared at Edward confused, but the elder Elric glared at him so he wouldn't arise any suspicions. Al frowned slightly, but he immediately turned his attention to Roy.

"I hope you already did your homework, Al", the man suddenly said snapping the Elric out of his thoughts.

He smiled and nodded, making the best performance he could, "I certainly have, Mr. Mustang"

Roy smiled at him, but he almost laughed at Al's 'pissed off' face; it just didn't suit him. Half an hour later, the three were standing out of a store where Izumi and Sig continued shopping; this was when Alphonse took his chance.

"What on Earth are you doing?!"

Edward sighed and scratched his head feeling Al's glare, but also Roy's amused face, "We can't tell her you have a bodyguard, Al. She would ask questions, _a lot_ of questions"

"But if she finds out, she will kill us, _several_ times", he said folding his arms.

"But she won't, will she?", Ed voice was a slightly pleading, but it sounded almost as an warn.

Al rolled his eyes, "If you say so, brother"

It was then when they heard that Izumi was yelling Al's name and he hurried inside the store. She probably wanted to buy something for him. However, Edward's face frowned when he saw the amused expression of Roy.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing in particular", the man said condescending, "But if you're so afraid to tell you aunt about my real job, you must be hiding something important"

Ed's face twitched, but he still kept those eyebrows frowned, "Of course not, I just don't want her to ask a bunch of questions"

"Alphonse is right, if she finds out-"

"But she won't", the boy barked with a glare on his eyes.

In that moment, Ed's cell phone rang. He put it out of his pocket and checked the number on the screen, but he immediately turned it off and put it back.

"As I told you the first day we met", Roy began folding his hands and looking away, "You have to tell me if you brother is in danger"

Ed looked at him out of the corner of his eye, but remained quiet. The cell phone rang again and he turned it off as well without looking who it was this time since he was sure it was the same person.

Roy voice became even more deep and serous, "I think I've proved you that you can trust me"

The blonde didn't answer, he just stared at the store window in silence until his family appeared with more bags to carry. Edward tried to change his tense expression and smiled at Al who was tired of trying clothes; however, he was sure it was his turn.

………………….

"There's pretty much nothing you can do if he don't want to tell you"

Roy glared at his best friend, "I know that, Hughes. I wanted to know if you couldn't do something"

"Like what? Intervene his cell phone? Spy him?", Maes rolled his eyes when he noticed that Roy liked the first idea, "I won't do it. You know I would risk my job anytime for my family, you and the crew, but what you're asking is crossing the line. _A lot_"

"I need to know what I'm facing and he won't tell me. He may be putting his and his brother's life on dangers for his stubbornness", the man said as he grabbed his glass of lemonade.

Hughes threw him a harsh look, but Roy remained unperturbed. He had seen his friend's even more upset that this.

"I won't do it, Roy, so stop it already. Make your bet"

Mustang sighed and threw some of his chips to the center of the table and grabbed some cards, "I had to try at least"

"Maybe he isn't hiding anything and you're just seeing things the wrong way", his friend said as he threw his own chips.

Roy didn't answer since the door bell rang. He glanced at the clock in the wall, "I'm not expecting anybody. Did you invite someone?"

Hughes nodded, "I did, but they were busy tonight"

The man then stood up and headed to the door, "Don't try to cheat, I'll notice it"

Maes just smiled and Roy hurried to his house's entrance. To his surprise, a well-known blonde was at the frame door, his arms folded since outside the wind was frozen.

The man blinked a few times before he could react, "Edward?"

"Can you let me in? It's freaking cold out here"

Roy stepped aside and Ed hurried inside where the fire was on, so his body relaxed at the sudden source of heat. The raven-haired man just stood there waiting until Ed would say something since the boy was glancing around his house until he stopped at the wall clock.

"I'm sorry that I came this late", Edward began, but the apology sounded almost false, "…But I needed to discuss something with you"

The man then approached him and signed to follow him, "I have hot chocolate if you want"

Edward was feeling clearly uneasy at the situation, but he still nodded and followed him to the dining room where Hughes was surprised to see the blonde.

"I hope you remember him", he said as he headed to the kitchen.

Maes clicked his tongue as he shook Ed,s hand, "How rude", he complained, "I'm unforgettable"

Roy rolled his eyes, but Ed couldn't hold back a smile seeing how Hughes seemed to be having fun. However, he almost jumped back when a picture of some woman blocked his sight suddenly.

"And she's my wife, isn't she the most beautiful woman you have ever seen?"

Luckily for Edward, Mustang was already back and grabbed the picture, "Don't bother him with this"

"Party-pooper"

The man put the mug on the table and Ed took a seat, not sure when he was supposed to say something, but Roy helped him a little.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Ed didn't do it intentionally, but his eyes rested in Hughes for a second and Roy noticed it.

"I trust him with my life, but if you want, I could kick him out of here"

Hughes glanced at the man not really amused by the comment, but he didn't say anything. Edward then sighed and grabbed the chocolate mug, his eyes stuck on the dark liquid.

"I just...", he began, but stopped as he was analyzing what he should say, "I want to tell you about the calls"

Roy's eyes opened wider for a moment, but he took a seat and looked at Edward, "Do you think your brother's life is in danger?"

This was when Ed looked up, when those golden eyes, filled with determination but also with fear this time, told Roy what he wanted to know.

………………


	6. Secrets Still Sealed

"**Secrets still sealed"**

Roy blinked a few times when Edward's eyes moved from him to the floor repeatedly. The boy had been like that for about thirty seconds, probably thinking over the story he was about to tell.

"I-" he began dropping his head. "I used to run some research in the Amestris Scientific Center before I decided to 'take his job'," he said, raising a brow. Why did he talk like he wasn't proud of what he did? "Most of them were medical researches to improve the quality of treatment. However, my boss once asked me to take a project where I had to create something dangerous. He told me that if I did It, I would be one of the leader scientists."

A pause. An awkward pause, actually, since Roy wasn't sure if he should ask or just wait. Hughes nodded, telling him to wait.

Edward smirked. "You're awfully quiet."

The man flinched at the sudden comment. "Just finish."

The blonde averted his eyes. "I obviously said no, but my boss wasn't thrilled since he didn't think anyone else could do it and threatened me, of course." His tone was acerbic.

"So," Roy decided to say, "he wants you to go back and run that research."

Ed nodded quietly and then he waited. He could see the wonder in Roy's eyes; he wanted to ask more questions, but he also knew Ed wouldn't answer. At least not for now. Roy would have to work with the little information he was given for a while.

"Do you honestly think he would hurt Alphonse?"

The teenager's eyes met Roy's for a brief moment. Roy had never seen such intense look in his life. "Yes, he would."

The man nodded and leaned on the couch. "Who is he?"

"I don't know his name. He never told us. I only spoke to him through the phone so I don't know what he looks like," the boy explained, his voice quite apologetic.

"Alright. I assume you can't see the number of his cell phone, am I right?" Roy said, grabbing his jaw thoughtfully. Edward merely shook his head. "I guess here is where you can give us a hand, Hughes."

Maes drew a wicked smile. "My favorite hobby."

"He'll try to identify this man," Roy explained to blonde who seemed somewhat confused. "Meanwhile, I'll protect Alphonse with all I have."

Edward bit his lip, but he nodded. He hated this situation, putting his brother in danger like he was; but on the other hand, he couldn't give up and do what the man asked him to. So for now he would have to trust Roy.

"I'll go now, it's too late," Hughes announced, straightening up. "It was nice to see you, Edward."

The teen nodded and both Roy and Ed watched how the man headed to the door and left the house. For a brief moment, both remained quiet, just hearing the clicking of the wall clock and the fire burning the wood. Edward had his eyes glued to the floor. Roy stared at him through his peripheral vision.

"Why haven't you told him about all this?"

The teen ran a hand through his golden bangs. "I don't want him to ask me questions. He worries too much."

"Maybe he's right to worry about you," the man suggested with a smile, but Ed just remained silent. "Or maybe, there's guilt of some sort involved in all this."

Roy noticed how Ed's eyes widened in just a second. However, the boy looked up with his usual defiant gaze hiding any hint of uneasiness.

"I have to go too, it's really late. See you tomorrow, Roy."

He watched the blonde get up and walk toward the door. So the kid was full of secrets and he wouldn't give in so easily. That was right, he liked challenges and this certainly was one. Edward stopped at the door, holding it open, his fringe falling down and hiding his face and Roy stood up, his eyes fixed on him.

"Please, just don't let anybody hurt him."

The dark-haired man flinched at the 'please' word, but then he smirked confident. "I won't."

That said, Ed left and closed the door behind him. Mustang stood there, staring at the door, lost in his thoughts, rethinking what had just happened. He didn't like the fact that Edward was holding important information from him, but for now, he would have to use what he knew and wait until the blonde decided to tell the entire story.

………….

The doors of the elevator opened and Edward stepped into his apartment quietly. He left his coat and his gloves behind and headed in the darkness to his bedroom so he wouldn't wake up anybody. He almost screamed when he noticed someone in the shadows, staring at him from the living room.

"Aunt," the blonde muttered, sweat dropping. Shoot, he had to come up with a lie and now.

The woman stood up and approached him. "Where did you go this late, Edward?"

Damn it. Any lie was good enough. He went out with some friends? Like hell she would believe that. He urgently had to go to the library? She would ask further questions of course…He sighed and his brow frowned deeply. "I can't tell you, Aunt."

Izumi fixed his eyes on him and both remained like that for a moment. Edward gulped at the intense gaze of the woman, but he didn't look away. "You're hiding something important, Edward, I'm not stupid. Tell me the truth. Who was the man from the mall?"

_Fuck_. She would kick his ass over and over. "Alphonse's bodyguard."

She narrowed her eyes, but she didn't say anything else. Both stared at each other for a moment, but then Izumi turned around and left the boy alone in the living room. Edward just stood there, blinking in the darkness until he gulped and sighed in relief. Well, at least he wouldn't die tonight.

……………….

Ling growled and crossed his arms. The line in the cafeteria almost reached the door. In other words, they had a long way to go before they could buy food.

"I'm starving," he complained, checking on the line again.

Winry rolled her eyes. "Come on Ling, you talk like you will die any minute."

"Who says I won't?"

Alphonse chuckled and then turned around to see Roy standing few feet away with his eyes narrowed. The man had been more than serious than ever that morning, always standing with that gaze that suspected everything. Did something happen? Something he didn't notice?

"Alphonse?"

The boy flinched and looked back at Winry and Ling who were staring at him, confused. "Yes?"

"Something wrong?" Winry asked, her blue eyes trying to figure out what was he looking at.

"No…No. It's nothing," he assured, waving his hand. "Look, we're almost next."

Ling noticed that he could smell the food so he turned around and got out his money. Winry, however, still stared at Al through the corner of her eye. When he sighed, she averted her gaze, pretending to be checking the food.

Alphonse grabbed his food and paid, but his eyes shifted from his tray to Roy, who still had that look in his face. Now he was worried, but he wouldn't be able to talk with Roy for now. Minutes after, the three teens were finally sitting and Ling devoured his food like his life depended on it. Winry just shook her head and glanced at Al whose eyes were still stuck on Roy.

"Do you think he saw something?"

The boy flinched at Winry's question, but then he drew close to the table so only she and Ling could hear the conversation. "I don't know, but he is acting quite odd."

"I don't think he saw anything," Ling assured them before he took a sip of his drink. "RanFan would have reacted by now and look at her."

Both teens turned around to see Ling's bodyguard leaned on the wall with her arms crossed and eyes closed. Her permanent position.

Al sighed. "Still, it's weird."

"Maybe you should ask him," the girl suggested, holding her fork.

"Later, for now, let's just eat."

Suddenly, the cafeteria was filled with the squeals of several girls and every one turned their heads so they could see what it was. Winry just narrowed her eyes when she saw a bunch of girls screaming over something the mega popular Russell was doing; they couldn't see what, but since the table was shining, it was alchemy for sure.

"He could always go outside for that." Winry sighed and continued eating.

Ling smiled. "But the girls are here. I don't think he wants the attention of the soccer players outside."

Both teens chuckled. Alphonse then grabbed his notebook and opened it. "So are you guys going to my apartment today? Izumi wants to cook for you both."

Ling swallowed his food and nodded, "Of course, I wouldn't want to miss any of your aunt's meals. I hope they're as amazing as you always say."

"You won't be disappointed, I can promise you that much."

"We have homework to do, Ling. We're not going just for the food," Winry reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the boy grumbled, shaking his hand.

………………..

Later that day, Ling was still eating in Al's laboratory while Winry and Alphonse measured some stuff to begin the experiment.

"Aunt, stop giving Ling food or he'll never help us."

Izumi smiled. "I can't not please someone who appreciates my food as much as he does."

Ling nodded, agreeing with her, his mouth full. "She iz am amagzin cooke!"

Winry rolled her eyes and gestured Al to continue with the experiment or they would never finish it and it was due the next day. Izumi carefully watched how both teens followed the instructions or improvised to give their own personal touch to the formula. They were good.

"Do you know where your brother went?" she asked Al suddenly.

Alphonse shook his head, looking at her through a volumetric flask. "He didn't tell me today. Sometimes he doesn't even know until someone calls him with a job."

Izumi sighed. "How irresponsible. He should tell you in the moment he knows."

"Don't worry about him, aunt. It's not like he can't take care of himself."

"Apparently, he thinks you can't."

Al looked up at her and stared. His brother told him that Izumi already knew about Roy, but he couldn't tell if she was mad. "Everyone in my school has one. He thought I should, too. That's all."

"Of course." Izumi got up and left the room quietly.

Winry and Ling glanced at Alphonse, confused, but he just shrugged. He honestly didn't know what had happened.

"Still, she's right. Edward should tell you where he's going or something," Winry said, trying to fix her hair so that the experiment wouldn't mess it up.

Al sighed. "I'll tell him."

"I thought you said your aunt was enough protection for you," Ling suddenly said when he left the tray in the table.

The dark blonde raised a brow. "Meaning?"

His friend pointed at the monitor in the corner of the room. "Why is he here then?"

Alphonse's eyes twitched. When had he gotten in? Why? He had told him that he didn't need protection in his own house and still he came? "I'm sure brother told him something. I'll talk to him."

However, when he jumped from the stool, his cell phone rang. He checked it, but the number was unknown to him, so he pressed a button and put it on his ear.

"Yes?"

"_Alphonse Elric, I have you brother._"

The boy blinked a few times, processing what the deep, rough voice had just said. Had he heard it wrong? "What?"

"_It's exactly as I just told you. Come to the address I will send you to your cell phone, and come alone. If you tell anybody, the next thing you'll know about your brother will be his obituary in the paper._" That said, the man hung up.

Al could feel his body shaking, but when remembered that he wasn't alone, he took a deep breath and tried to control himself. He flinched, though, when his cell phone went off, announcing that he had a new text message from the same unknown number.

"Is something wrong, Al?" Winry finally asked him.

The boy gulped. He grabbed the book he nearest him and forced a smile. "No, my brother just wanted me to drop this book off for him. I'll be right back." He grabbed his back pack. "Ling, help Winry with the experiment."

"But I haven't finished the snacks!"

However, when the girl glared at him, he smiled nervously and nodded. Al then almost ran out of the room since Izumi wasn't around, but he had forgotten a little tiny detail.

"Roy," he said to himself and took another deep breath. Getting rid of him would be even harder than Izumi. "Mr. Mustang, I'll right back," he called as he hurried to the elevator, hoping the man wouldn't be able to react in time.

"Wait, wait." Roy followed him, but stopped when Alphonse turned around. "Where are you going?"

"Just to drop this book off for my brother to use," the teen answered with a grin. That said, he pressed the button of the elevator so it would close the doors.

"Wait!"

But he didn't make it on time. The doors closed, so Roy ran to the emergency stairs, jumping lots of steps skillfully since he had done this millions of times. When he finally reached the lobby of the building, he saw Alphonse half way to the door and he hurried toward him.

"Alphonse! Stop!"

The boy flinched and turned around with wide eyes, obviously confused, but he didn't move. The man grabbed his arm and dragged him to a small lounge where they had more privacy. Roy placed both hands on the boy's shoulders and fixed dark eyes on him.

"Alphonse, you can try to fool me, but your eyes don't lie to me," Mustang growled in low voice. "Tell me what's happening."

The younger Elric bit his lip and dropped his head. He didn't know what else to do but to let it go, so his body began to shake, showing the fear he had tried to hide,. "Someone called me. He has brother and it's going to kill him if I don't go."

"Someone?" Roy repeated, his eyes widening. "Did he say anything else?"

The boy shook his head. "No, he just wants me to go alone."

Roy stayed quiet for a few seconds, analyzing the situation. Why would they want Alphonse if they had Edward? Didn't the blonde say that they wanted him only? Something was very off. "Al, did you try contacting your brother?"

The teen finally looked up and stared at Roy, even more confused. Didn't he hear what Al just said? "Mr. Mustang, I just told you-"

"Call your brother, Al."

Alphonse almost growled in desperation, but he took out his cell and did as he was told, thinking of all the time he was wasting. However, his heart almost stopped when he heard his brother's voice.

"_Hey Al, sorry I didn't call you sooner__."_

The boy glanced at Roy, speechless, but he tried to focus, "I-I-Don't worry," he stammered. "I just wanted to know where you went."

"_Al, is everything alright?"_

"Of course, brother," the younger Elric answered, maybe too quickly. "Aunt Izumi just got mad when I couldn't tell her where were you."

"_I'm almost there. Five more minutes. Tell her to wait for me if she wants to kill somebody."_

"I'll tell her, brother. See you."

The boy hung up and stared at Roy for a moment. He just stood there waiting for Al to say something since Roy wasn't sure what was he thinking, but he didn't look happy.

"You know something."

Roy opened his mouth, but closed it immediately. He wasn't expecting that accusation, exactly. "What?"

"I'm sure you know something," the teen repeated, furrowing his brows. Not as threatening as when Edward did it, but they were furrowed, nonetheless.

The raven-haired man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Alphonse, you have to talk to your brother."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"Because it is none of my business," he stated as he headed to the elevator. "It's not my call to decide if you should know or not."

Alphonse hurried behind him. "What should I do about the call? Shouldn't we go where brother is to check on him?"

"No, trust me on this one." The man pressed the button of the elevator. "Ignore the call. Ignore any call from a number you don't recognize."

The boy then remained silent. Roy, in the other hand, was lost in his thoughts, rethinking the situation. Well, whoever they were, they knew Alphonse was being taken care of and they'd try to catch him alone, of course. He'd have to keep even alert.

…………………

When the doors of the elevator opened, Edward stepped in the apartment and dropped his backpack. He saw himself in the mirror at the entrance and noticed that he was covered in mud. It had started raining and he had been on a farm, almost an hour away from the city, so it was natural that he was filthy.

He headed to his bedroom to take a quick shower before saying hi to anyone; however, he stopped at the door when he saw Al and Roy waiting for him, sitting at the small desk. The blonde cocked a brow and closed the door behind him, sensing the seriousness of the situation.

"What's wrong?"

Al stood up, "Brother, I lied to you earlier," the boy announced. Ed stared at him in confusion. "The reason I called you, it was a lie."

Golden eyes shifted from the younger Elric to the ebony haired man, and then back again. "What do you mean?"

"I received a call from a man. He told me he had you and he would kill you if I didn't do what he said," the teen explained in low voice.

Edward's eyes widened, but then he glanced at Roy. His face was serene, but severe at the same time.

"Brother!"

"Alphonse," the elder Elric began, still staring at Roy who only nodded. Then he looked back at Al. "As you can see, it was a lie-"

"Brother, tell me what's happening. This isn't a coincidence. You hired a bodyguard and suddenly someone calls, threatening me on hurting you?" Al's voice lost its usual soft tone. He was mad. "I want you to tell me what's happening and I want to know now."

Edward sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "No Al, it wasn't a coincidence."

After the boy revealed to Al exactly what he had told Roy the night before, Ed just stared at his little brother. He knew Al wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what.

"…Why?"

The blonde blinked. "Why?"

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

The question Ed was waiting for, of course. He approached Al and dropped his head so his bangs hid his face. "I thought that was obvious. I wanted you to live happy and focus on your studies for a change."

Alphonse's eyes opened wider, but then he smiled softly. His brother would never change. "I always want to know, brother. No matter what, we'll face everything together."

Edward couldn't help but smile. When their parents died, he had said the same to Alphonse and, until now, it had been like that.

"I'm sorry, Al."

The younger Elric nodded. "So, how bad is this?"

"Pretty bad actually. Those men are obsessed. You and I both know obsession never leads to anything good."

"Then it looks like I'll need a bodyguard after all," Alphonse murmured, turning around toward Roy. "Or bother will follow me like a second shadow."

"Hey, don't talk like that about your big brother!"

Roy smirked. "What's the big deal? Alphonse is right."

Edward narrowed his eyes, but then smirked. Roy had saved Al this time, he was sure of that, so for now he would try to be nice to the man. Alphonse would need him, and he would, too.


	7. Confrontation

First of all, I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I have a good reason :D. **Sayo124 **is now the beta for this story and she had fixed all the previous chapters and this one of course. Thank you so much Sayo!!! :D I hope you enjoy the story more now!

"**Confrontation"**

Edward finished his coffee and unfolded the sheet of paper he had been keeping in his coat. Today he didn't have to go out of the city, which was good considering what had happened the day before with Alphonse. His eyes twitched. He had been right about those bastards, so it had been a good call to hire a bodyguard for his brother.

At least he could be sure that Al was well protected so he could go on with his job without the need to call him every minute. Well, he wanted to, but he was doing his best to let the kid go on with his normal life. Ed owed him that.

He checked out his cell phone to see what time it was, but his eyes narrowed. He had one new message from a new unknown number. He got one every week or so. The blonde sighed and opened it just to read it.

"_You know what we're capable of. Yesterday we made a mistake, but now we know what we're dealing with,_" Ed read in low voice and rolled his eyes. Of course he knew they would go as far as they could from the beginning.

He threw the empty coffee cup in the trash can and headed to his car. He had to get going if he wanted to go home early. When he was on his way, his cell rang and saw his aunt's name on the screen. Shoot.

"Hi, Teach-… Aunt," he corrected himself as he turned down the stereo. "Is something wrong?"

"_Why do you always assume something is wrong_?" she accused. "_Of course not. I just wanted to know if you would be back home early so the four of us could go out to eat._"

"Well, probably, but I'm not certain yet," he answered, stopping at a red light. "I'll call you later to let you know."

"_Where are you going anyway? I told you to let someone know where you're going._"

Edward almost snorted but decided against it. "I'm not going out of the city, so don't worry."

"_Then I see you at noon, bye._"

"Bye Aunt."

Edward sighed and stepped on the accelerator when the light changed. Izumi could get on his nerves every now and then, but of course he couldn't say no to her. Now he had to hurry if he wanted to be back on time.

…………….

"Al, please remind Edward. He has to go to Grandma's to do his check up," Winry told him when she was about to open the door of her car. "If he doesn't go when he says he will, I'll have to drag him over."

"You should tell Aunt," Alphonse suggested mischievously. "She'd knock him down if necessary."

Winry snickered. "Not a bad idea, actually."

Ling just shook his head and waved his hand, heading to his car, followed by RanFan. Winry said goodbye, too, and got in her car. Alphonse approached Roy, who was leaning on the car.

"How was school today?"

Alphonse held back a chuckle. Roy was talking to him like he was a little kid, "It was fine. I have a lot of reading to do."

"About something interesting at least?" Roy asked, opening the door of the car and getting in with Al.

The boy shrugged. "The history of Briggs. Not really my thing, but it can't be helped."

"History wasn't my thing either," Roy agreed. "But I have a book about Briggs I can lend you."

Al nodded gratefully. "That would be great! I don't think we have one of those in our library."

"If you want, we can go now," he suggested. "It's not far from here"

"Are you sure?" the boy asked.

"Of course, that way you won't have to go later."

Al smiled. "Thanks."

Roy nodded. "At the next corner, turn right and I'll tell you where to go from there."

Alphonse did as told after he checked on the mirror and waited for Roy's instructions, but in that moment, his cell phone rang and noticed it was Izumi. "I shouldn't answer…"

"But she'll keep on calling, won't she?" Roy added, smirking.

The dark blond sweat dropped and answered the call while Mustang watched their surroundings. He had to be alert to notice any little detail now that those men had taken the first step. Anything could be significant.

He looked through the rear view mirror, at his side, to the front. Everything seemed just fine so he leaned on the seat to hear Al's conversation.

"I'll arrive in thirty minutes, give or take," he heard Alphonse saying. "Yes, aunt. See you later."

The boy put the phone back and smiled awkwardly. "We should hurry. Brother is already home and she wants to go out to eat."

"Turn left in the next light and then right. We're almost there."

"I think I heard my Brother yelling at me so we'd hurry up," Alphonse added, raising a brow.

Roy just smirked. Was the woman that frightening? She seemed just a regular housewife; maybe a little overprotective, but nothing more. Was he missing something? Before he could ask Alphonse, something caught his attention in the left mirror. A white BMW, two cars behind them was not aligned with the others. He moved slightly and was able to see a man in the left seat talking to the driver, both of them wore dark sunglasses and were noticeably staring at Al's car.

"Alphonse, turn right in the next corner."

The dark blonde flinched at the sudden order since he had been told to go in a different direction. "But you just said-"

"Just turn right."

The boy threw the man a confused look, but did as told. Roy stared at the left mirror and watched how the BMW turned right too, now right behind them. This wasn't good.

"Something wrong?" Alphonse asked him suddenly.

When the car stopped in front of a red light, Roy glanced though the rear view mirror and his charcoal eyes met the man's through the sunglasses. He was sure then.

"Alphonse, let me drive," he urged, his eyes still locked on the mirror.

The boy blinked a few times, but when he saw how Roy was already moving in his seat, he knew Roy was serious. They did it as fast as they could since the red light wouldn't last long, and when Roy was ready to step on the accelerator, the light changed. However, Al was still trying to put his seat belt on and almost hit his head against the window when the car lurched beneath him.

"Mr. Mustang! What's going on?!"

He moved the steering wheel to the right at top speed. "We're being followed."

The younger Elric's eyes widened and looked back, noticing the BMW that was way too close. "They're going to hit us!"

Roy's brows furrowed. "No they won't."

Using the handbrake, he made a one-eighty and kept going straight. Alphonse saw how the BMW stopped and tried to turn around, but the traffic Roy had created managed to stop them for a brief moment.

"What are they trying to do?"

"They want to take you, of course," Roy said as he turned to the left. "But I'm not sure how. We have to lose them before we can go to your apartment."

"But they know where I live," Al pointed out. "I don't get it."

"They may be afraid of your brother."

The boy glanced at the older man, but he didn't have the chance to say anything since Roy turned abruptly to the left.

"Hold on, they're already behind us."

Roy stepped on the accelerator and passed a few cars always, checking the rear view mirror. He couldn't see gun of any sort, but he wouldn't take the risk. However, Alphonse caught his attention; he was clutching on his seat obviously terrified by his driving skills.

"It's going to be okay, Al," the man assured him. "Just trust me."

Al glanced at him and bit his lip, but he relaxed his hands and sighed. "Alright."

Mustang turned the wheel to the right, passing more cars skillfully, but he could see in the mirror how the BMW was still after them. They were good.

"Let's see what this Audi can do."

The younger Elric glanced at him out of the corner of his eye; he didn't like the sound of that, _at all_. He shifted to fourth gear and the car moved even faster so the dark blond closed his eyes.

"Everything will be fine, everything will be fine, everything will be fine," Al chanted to himself in a low voice.

But then Roy turned to get into a narrow alley where the car almost hit the walls; the boy flinched and screwed his eyes shut.

"Have we lost them already?!"

"No," Roy answered looking through the rear view mirror. "GET DOWN!"

Alphonse felt how Roy's arm forced him to bend down and the next thing he heard were gunshots. He covered his head with his arms and saw Mustang trying to hide his head while driving, but when the shots stopped, Roy grabbed the boy's arm.

"Alphonse, hold the steering wheel! Now!"

"Right!"

He did as told and Roy then turned around and snapped his fingers once to destroy the already shattered rear window and two more times to destroy the attacker's front window, blinding them for a few seconds. He turned back around and when they got out of the alley, he squeezed by the left passing two cars barely.

"Are they still behind us?"

Alphonse glanced back and saw how the pursuers got stuck in the traffic and were unable to get out of the alley. They put the car in reverse and disappeared. "No, but I can't see them anymore."

Roy's eyes looked through the rear view mirror for a brief moment, noticing that, indeed, the car had disappeared. "Damn."

The boy raised a brow. "That's good, isn't it?"

"I hope so."

Al gulped, leaning back in his seat and took a deep breath. He really wasn't a fan of speed and the previous predicament only proved that to him. However, the fact that there were people that were willing to attack them with guns gave him goose bumps and made him wonder what the research was about. Was it something worth killing for? He grabbed his cell phone and used speed dial to call his brother, but Roy moved the car abruptly and he felt something hit them from the right side of the car.

"Damn bastards!" Roy barked as he turned left. "They're certainly pissed off. Hold on, Al!"

And so he did, screwing his eyes shut. Roy pushed the break once he saw how the attackers were aiming their guns and the shots hit the truck, but he took a left again to avoid the traffic as no to hurt anyone innocent. Now that he knew that there were guns involved, he'd have to end the situation as soon as possible.

However, he saw how the attackers approach them again and hit the side of the car, the copilot doing his best to hold the gun still. "Oh no, you won't," Roy murmured and snapped his fingers.

The only thing he heard was a scream of pain as he shifted to fifth gear and left them behind, but they were almost immediately hit from behind. Alphonse winced and looked back; where they trying to capture or kill them?!

"GET DOWN NOW!" Roy ordered him, moving the car to the right abruptly.

He did as told wincing at the gunshots that shattered the front window of his car and ripped the seats. However, a small groan coming from Roy caught his attention; they had hit him in the shoulder and he was bleeding.

"Roy!"

"Stay there, Al!"

The boy clung to the car seat since Roy was once again moving the car violently. The attackers hit them a few more times from the back. The flame manipulating alchemist gritted his teeth and glanced at the rear view mirror.

"That's it."

Al held on tight when the car did a one hundred degree turn and saw how the attackers did the same, but they had to stop when a bus got in their way. It was then Roy stepped on the accelerator and put distance between them and the pursuers.

"I have to guide them somewhere less crowded. We can't hurt anybody."

"They're after us already," Al announced looking through the left mirror.

Roy glanced around, trying to decide which way they should go where it was less crowded; however, the attackers probably picked the timing to be to their advantage since the traffic was extremely heavy at that hour. _Damn it_. Roy noticed how Alphonse opened the glove compartment and grabbed a piece of paper.

"Turn left in that corner and park as fast as you can," the boy commanded looking back to check on the attackers. "But do it really fast."

"What? What are you planning on doing?"

"Just do it! Now!"

He would have to trust the teen since apparently Al had an idea while his mind was still blank. Roy took the left and parked between two cars, turning the engine off immediately. Alphonse then quickly placed the sheet on the window of the car and touched it, activating a simple transmutation array.

"What are you going to do?" Roy inquired when he figured it out what sort of array it was.

But his question was soon answered when he saw how the now the damaged Audi transformed into a simple sedan once the transmutation was over. Roy smirked as the boy grinned at him.

"Very clever." He patted the boy's shoulder. "Wait here."

Alphonse raised a brow but before he could ask anything, Mustang was already out of the car, hiding. Al did the same inside the car, making sure he could see if the pursuers turned at the corner at came after them. Roy hurried to the attacker's car and snapped his fingers, leaving the car unusable; then, he approached the driver and yanked him by the collar.

"Take this a warning, you sons of a bitch," he hissed, slamming the man against the burned car. "The kid is well-protected now and you won't lay a finger on him, ever."

The man gritted his teeth, but he tried to struggle so Roy would set him free and his dark sunglasses fell, revealing a pair of red eyes that were full of anger. Mustang flinched slightly, but he pushed the man inside the car and raised his hand threateningly since the copilot was trying to get out.

"Ishbalans?"

Roy glanced at Al who was now at his side, staring at the two men. The boy was as surprised as he was apparently. However, Mustang glanced back at the attackers. One of them was trying to unfold a gun. "Don't move an inch, you bastards," he warned them, frowning, noticing how those red eyes were fixed on Alphonse. He pulled the boy behind him.

Al flinched when he heard the sirens of the police approaching and it was then he saw how everyone around was staring at them and murmuring. Great. He really hoped no one he knew was close or the whole school would know.

"Alphonse, call your Brother."

Right, his brother. The boy grabbed his cell phone and turned around, trying to block out the loud sirens of the police. Roy just watched the police handcuff the Ishbalans, taking notes and asking Roy questions which he answered automatically. The men's eyes were stuck in Alphonse, so Roy stood alert through the entire interrogation.

When the dark blonde turned toward him, Roy rested a hand on his shoulder and saw how the stare from the men grew more intense now Al was closer.

"He said he'll be here in ten minutes," the boy announced as he closed his cell phone.

Roy drew Al even closer when the Ishbalan's started struggling against the handcuffs and he prepared his other hand to snap his fingers if needed. One of the police men approached him again to ask him even more questions. Mustang didn't let the Al go; not that the boy tried to move away.

However, the younger Elric shifted nervously when he noticed Edward's car approaching at top speed. Roy saw it, too, and waited until the blonde stopped his car jumped out of it, running towards them.

"Al! Are you alright?!" he almost cried.

"Yes Brother, I'm fine," Alphonse assured him with a smile. "Mr. Mustang was amazing."

Ed glanced at Roy who was staring at him and both stood like that for a brief moment. However, Edward gulped at the recriminatory stare and he didn't have to ask the reason since he noticed the Ishbalans being pulled inside the police car.

"I think you have something to explain, Edward."

The boy's eyes shifted back to Roy but only for a second. "Where's your car, Al?"

"I transmuted it," Alphonse answered, pointing at the sedan.

Ed nodded and turned around, clapping his hand and transmuting Al's car back as if it was brand new. Mustang couldn't help but to watch, amazed; not matter how many times he saw it, the kid's ability astounded him.

Edward glanced at the police's car and saw how the Ishbalan's eyes were glued on him. He glared at them and then approached Al and Roy.

"Brother, who are they?" Alphonse finally asked, catching Ed's attention.

The golden haired boy sighed in resignation. "I guess I omitted some details in my story before."

Alphonse face twisted in confusion. "Brother! Why would you do that?!"

"I didn't think it was important for you to know," he explained, scratching the back of his head and flinched when Roy took a step forward.

"But it was important for _me_ to know," he said quietly but accusatorily. "I have to know the _details._"

Golden eyes smoldered in discontent, but he showed understanding. "Alright," he merely said, but he then noticed something. "You're hurt."

Roy frowned at him, too, and raised a hand when Al was about to say something, "It's only a scratch. Nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?" the younger Elric asked, concerned.

"Of course. Alphonse, go home with Edward," Roy suddenly ordered. "I'll go to the police station to finish this and clean the injury."

Alphonse shook his head. "We can drive you there, Mr. Mustang."

"That's okay. You should go home right now since someone could be still around."

The boy sighed and handed him the keys to his car. "Thank you, Mr. Mustang."

"My pleasure."

Before he turned around, onyx eyes met golden eyes and both stared at each other for a brief moment in clear confrontation. This conversation wasn't over and Edward knew it.

……………….


End file.
